Love is like a Musical
by wordlessNovella
Summary: "It takes time, patience, and energy to perfect. Without cooperation, it goes nowhere. One line can make or break it. Whether it does or not is up to you." all-human AU, high school. Other shippings may or will be included.
1. Chapter 1

Hi there everyone! Kazuko here with my latest work, Love is like a Musical! This is my first long Homestuck fanfiction, and I will be having a lot of fun playing around with the characters! Basically, they are all humans and in high school. They are in a mixed-grade class in their final hour of the day, so all grades are included. Some chapters will be short, others will not. I will probably update this one more often than my other long fic, Giving up the Gun, but I'm not sure if it will be as long as GUTG. So good luck, have fun reading, and stay safe as you venture through my interpretation of human trolls! :D

Homestuck and its characters belong to Husslepuff, and I do not claim them as my own. The only things I claim are the time, effort, and feelings that I put into writing this.

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Staring hard at his schedule, Carter's brow knit in confusion. "Last period... In the auditorium...? ...Musical theater...?" He muttered, confused. As far as he could recall, he'd made sure that elective was nowhere _near_ the top of his choices. As he made his way through the halls of his new school, carefully studying the map of the building, he got lost two or three times and managed to be late by three minutes. He yanked open one of the double doors, rushing inside. The others were just getting settled, their chatter still far above a whisper. Carter looked around, hoping to see a familiar face from any of his previous classes. He spotted the weakling (Taren, was it...?) with the faux hawk from biology, seated beside the creepy looking punk from language arts. Looking to the other side of Taren, Carter vaguely recognized the girl he sat behind in bio. Her shoulder length, strawberry-blonde hair was a bit messy. The girl she was sitting with was trying to fix it, her face a bit red and her mouth moving a mile a minute around her buck teeth. Carter hesitated at the top of the aisle, shifting his red backpack on his shoulder, unsure of where to go. A booming voice echoed through the auditorium.

"Oh, what do we have here?" The voice rang through the room, silencing everyone immediately. A tall, slender figure sauntered up the aisle toward Carter. He wore white dress pants, a green button down shirt, and dark green suspenders. He was looking down upon Carter hungrily. His lips quirked into a smile as Carter squirmed.

"I-I'm sorry I'm late, I got lost." Carter grumbled, looking at the floor. He then looked up at the instructor once more. "I'm Carter Vantas, sophomore, and this is my first day here."

"Ah yes, Carter. I was wondering if you'd died. Three whole minutes, wasted by losing your way! Did you not pay attention on your tour of the building?" The man rolled his eyes. Carter's cheeks heated up, flushing slightly.

"I-I didn't receive a tour of the place." Carter didn't break eye contact. "I was handed a map, a schedule, and was sent on my way."

The teacher was silent a moment, glancing around the room briefly from student to student. The other, what, nineteen or so broke eye contact immediately upon being looked over. The he turned his gaze back to Carter. "My name is Doctor Donald Scratch, but please only call me Doc Scratch. It'll be a pleasure to have you. Now then, find a seat. We're about to start our vocal warm ups." Scratch turned on his heel, headed back to the stage.

"B-But I...!" Carter began, remembering his predicament and taking a step forward. Scratch stopped, looking over his shoulder.

"Did I stutter?" His brows rose a fraction, and his eyes were cold. Carter swallowed hard, freckles on his cheeks hilighted by his blush. He didn't back down, though.

"No sir, but I wanted to know-" He began, but was promptly cut off.

"If you have a damn problem with my class, take it up with me _afterwards_." Scratch's tone was even, just barely emphasizing the last word in the sentence, but there was an underlying, almost threatening tone.

Carter was tempted to retaliate, but after another few seconds worth of staring at the other, bowed his head. "Whatever..." He grumbled, keeping his eyes trained on the floor as he shuffled toward the nearest row of seats. He dropped his bag into the third seat of the row, slumping into the fourth. Doc Scratch made his way up to the front of the house, disappearing behind a pair of black curtains. He reappeared seconds later on the stage, quickly taking center and making some sort of hand gesture. Everyone stood, and after taking a second to realise what was going on, Carter joined them. Scratch waved his hands a bit, and everyone began spreading out through the rows. Carter slid to the right a bit, then imitated Scratch and spread his arms at his sides. As his hands lowered back to their sides, a hand brushed his. Startled, Carter glanced up to see someone scowling at him. The other boy's thick framed glasses made his eyes look large, and would be inviting if they weren't so angry. Carter scowled back, but moved to the right a bit more. As they continued to stretch, Carter would sneak a glance or two at the boy.

His hair was a brownie-blonde, with a bleached-blonde shock of hair running up the middle. His face was slender, heart shaped, without a flaw in sight. His large, rectangular glasses were perched on the bridge of his nose perfectly, and his perfectly shaped lips pursed ever so slightly as he stretched. He let out a small sigh here and there.

The few times the other had made eye contact with him, Carter could feel the slight blush rising on his cheeks. He would quickly look away, pretending he hadn't noticed the other looking at him. He self consciously avoided opening his mouth as much as possible. He hated his braces, and was glad he would be getting rid of them in another year.

As everyone else sang, Carter mouthed the words. He pretended to sing. He refused to do the actual singing part. He hated to sing in front of anyone other than his cats, and even then it was a challenge.

Next, they had all gone through a series of physical stretches and warm ups. A script was passed out to each person, and Scratch read off the roles of each person. When Carter didn't here his name the first time through, he was relieved. Scratch quickly killed that feeling, though.

"Oh yes, our newbie. He needs a part as well..." Doc Scratch tapped his chin, looking over the students before him. After a moment he smiled, rather evilly, and pointed his finger in the air. "Aha, I know!" His finger swung down, cutting the class in half.

"We have twenty even now." He stated. "You ten will work from the original script," he gestured to the left half, "and you ten will work with a different version." he finished as he gestured to the right. "I will watch both performances at the end of the year, and whomever has the better will receive both extra credit and some form of a prize."

When the bell rang, signaling the end of class, Carter grabbed his bag and ran straight for Doc Scratch. The taller was just about to leave through a side exit on the stage when he cried out, "D-Doc Scratch, wait!"

The taller paused, turning around. He looked down at Carter from where he stood, looming even taller than he had before. Carter looked up at him, not stepping down.

"Oh you again, hmm?" Scratch quirked a brow, staring down at Carter. He didn't seem amused in the least. "Back so soon?"

"I want to know why I'm in this elective!" Carter exclaimed. "I didn't choose it, specifically freaking said I did not want it _at all_! So why am I _here_?" He knew he was shouting, but he was upset.

"Why, do you have something against theater?" Scratch was calm, nonchalant. "You are here because they do not have room for you anywhere else. It's that simple."

"But that isn't fair to _me_!" Carter cried. "I don't know anything about dancing, I can't act, and I am a terrible singer!" Alright, he knew the last piece was a lie, but he wasn't about to admit that.

"Mr. Vantas, if you please." Scratch sighed, seeming to be tired of their conversation already. "I have other important matters I must tend to. You haven't a choice but to stay in my class, and that is that. Now get going before you miss the bus." With that, he left. Carter groaned, slowly turning and walking to the back of the house. As he reached the double doors, pushing through them, a voice sounded behind him.

"Hey, nice w-work." The slightly scottish accent made Carter's heart leap. The redhead stopped dead in his tracks, not turning around but not wanting to leave, either. "I've never seen someone stand up to ol' Scratch like that before. Anyone else w-woulda been scared shitless an' just shut the hell up."

Slowly, Carter turned around. The boy he'd sat beside during class was standing behind him, leaning against the wall with his arms crossed.

"It was nothing..." Carter muttered. "All I fucking did was tried to ask him to lemme out of this shitty class."

"This class ain't by no means "shitty", I'll have you know-w." The other rolled his eyes. "My name is Ethan Ampora, nice to meet you." Ethan's hand came forward, and after a moment of hesitating, Carter's hand met it.

"What's up with the way you talk?" Carter asked as their hands parted. When Ethan puffed out his cheeks indignantly, Carter rolled his eyes.

"I have a speech impediment you asshole, I thought that w-woulda been obvious!" Ethan exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air. "W-whatever. Hey, w-what bus do you take?"

Carter stared back at him blankly a moment before asking in a quiet voice, "...Whaddaya mean what bus do I take? There's more than one?"

Ethan rolled his eyes, but he was smiling. "There are four of 'em in total. This _is _a big city, you know-w. I am on bus tw-wo." He listed off several stops, and when Carter recognized his, he perked up slightly.

"Oh, my stop's Crystalbrook Court...!" Carter exclaimed. "Which is, uh, yours again?"

Ethan rolled his eyes once more. "Do you even listen to people w-when they speak at ya? My stop is at Ambercold Point, tw-wo stops before yours. Feel like ridin' together, y'know-w, before w-we miss it? It's already five of three. W-we have five minutes to get our asses out there."

Carter stared at the other in disbelief, only able to nod. He couldn't believe he had actually made a friend on his first day there. Ethan guided Carter to the back doors of the school, where the buses were every afternoon. As they walked, he gave Carter a miniature tour.

As they stepped on the bus, revealing their school IDs to the driver, Ethan grabbed Carter's hand and tugged him into the nearest open seat.

"This is w-where I alw-ways sit." He stated. "Nobody dares touch my seat, or they know-w w-what's comin' for 'em." Carter didn't know, nor did he think he really wanted to.

The rest of the ride was filled with quiet chatter amongst the two. When Ethan had to leave, however, Carter panicked. slightly.

He stood, sliding out of the seat so Ethan could depart, but before Ethan could leave, Carter grabbed his backpack.

"W-wait, um..." Carter awkwardly looked down at his sneakers. "Am I gonna see you tomorrow, too?"

Ethan merely laughed. "If you're gonna be on the bus and show-w up for class, a course."

Carter grinned up at the other, nodding. "Y-yeah! See you then." He then slid back into the seat, watching as the other made his retreat. He turned to the bus driver, pecked her cheek with a 'thank you,' and promptly stepped off the bus. Carter blushed faintly, wondering how anyone could be so bold. He spent the rest of his ride gazing out the window, a small smile on his lips. He was glad to have made a friend. He nearly missed his stop because he was so far gone into his thoughts.


	2. Chapter 2

Hey, so this is chapter two of my latest thought~! I hope this doesn't set anyone off, but this is just to give a bit more of a background to Carter's family happenings and whatnots. I hope you enjoy the read, and I also apologize for the shortness! ;;

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Carter stood at his front door, patiently waiting. Finally, his mother opened the door and welcomed him inside. He groaned as he stepped in, taking off his fall coat and hanging it on its respective hook.

"Mom, I _seriously_ need a key for this place..." Carter groaned, picking up his backpack and making his way around her.

"I'm working on getting you a copy, dear." she rolled her eyes as she spoke, shaking her head. "Now then, are you hungry? I bought cosmic brownies-"

Before she could even finish her sentence, Carter had thrown his backpack to the floor. He cut through the dining room and into the kitchen at light speed, looking around frantically until he spotted the open box on the counter. Grabbing the closest one to the mouth of the box, he tore into the package and greedily stuffed the entire thing in his mouth. He gave a small, contented sigh as the chocolatey fudge frosting melted against the roof of his mouth, the brownie softening as he worked it to the best of his ability.

"Carter-! Jesus Christ, don't fucking _choke _on it!" His mother's head appeared in the doorway. She scowled at him, examining his rather animalistic state. His cheeks puffed out like a chipmunk's, a smear of chocolate on his lower lip, he looked like a little kid that had never eaten a single sweet in his life. Carter half-attempted to make a face back at her, but chocolate-monopolized saliva merely dripped from the corner of his mouth instead. Rolling her eyes, she gestured to the corner of her mouth to indicate the drool. Carter in return swiped at his mouth with his sleeve.

"Now don't go eating them all at once like a fatass. I'll be in the basement if you need me." And with that she sauntered into the small hallway off the kitchen, opened the door and disappeared down the steps. Carter continued to slowly work the brownie with his teeth and tongue, swallowing it in small chunks at a time until he could move it a bit more freely in his mouth. Popping open the fridge, he grabbed the bottle of Redpop flavored Faygo from the door and closed it with his hip. He cracked it open, taking a swig. He physically shuddered as the flavors clashed on his taste buds. He recapped the bottle as he walked back through the dining room, groaning softly to himself. He returned to the front hall to retrieve his bag, and there he found one of his two cats curled atop it. He swallowed the last of the brownie, scowling.

"Rockie, c'mon. I need my bag." he nudged the bag with his foot. The brown and gray cat peered up at him with its blue eyes, the small bell on its black collar jingling as it moved. Carter groaned as the cat refused to move. "Ro...! Rockie, _move it you useless cat_!" Carter's yelling didn't seem to affect it in the slightest. With a sigh he scooped up the cat with his free arm, draped it over his arm wielding the Faygo, then slung his bag over his shoulder. The cat mewled in the process of this, and Carter stopped a moment to swap the cat to the empty arm. "Useless fuck..." He murmured, but it was venomless. Rockie nuzzled Carter's cheek, and after a moment he returned the gesture.

Heading back through the dining room and kitchen, Carter made his way to the carpeted stairs that led up to his room. As he made his way up, Rockie purred softly in his arm. His other cat, Rosie, was there to greet him at the top. Her green eyes were half closed, and she softly meowed. Her pink collar jingled as she stood, ready to enter.

Carter found his new house's setup pretty neat. the lower floor consisted of a small front hall, a dining room to the left, and the living room to the right. Through the dining room, toward the back, was the kitchen. Through the living room, toward the back, was his mother's bedroom. A door from there also connected to the kitchen. There was a small bathroom off the kitchen as well, to the right if entering from the dining room. Set at the very back of the house, still leading off the kitchen, were two sets of stairs. One led down to the basement, and was in its own small hallway by his mother's room. The other was on the opposite side, also in its own little hall, and led upwards. That set led to the second floor, where he had his room, a gaming room, a second small bathroom, and a guest room.

Setting Rockie on the floor along with his Faygo, Carter pulled out his keychain and studied the two keys on it for awhile before deciphering which went to this door. Shoving it into the lock and turning it, he opened the door and stepped inside. Both cats followed in step with him and each other.

The majority of the space here was an open room with purple walls, and the space was divided in the middle (from the rightmost wall to the center of the room) by a half wall. The floor was cluttered with boxes, and the top of the half wall sported several different gaming systems. Two boxes of videogames were perched beside them, not yet opened.

Carter took a step in, closing the door behind him, and turned to his immediate left. He opened the door there, setting foot in his room. Rockie strode in, rubbing against Carter's legs and purring. Rosie wandered past, instead opting to leap onto the bed and begin kneading the pillow. Carter sighed, dropping his bag to the floor beside his desk. He would have grabbed his laptop, but they were still without internet and would not be receiving it for another day at the very least.

Instead he turned to his bed, falling face first into its comforter-clad surface. With a muffled groan, he lay there a good five minutes before his pets realised he would not be moving. Rosie came to his side, nuzzling the inch of exposed flesh by his hip before sitting quietly. Rockie, on the other hand, meowed rather loudly and leapt toward the bed. He scrambled a moment at the edge before pulling himself up, mewling once more before stepping onto Carter's back. He walked in a small circle, kneaded the soft cotton of Carter's tee, and situated himself into a comfortable position before beginning to purr. Carter grumbled into the cotton surface, "Useless fucking cats..."

After what had seemed hours, but was only a good ten minutes at the most, Carter finally began to squirm. When his cats realised the situation, the pair immediately moved away. Rockie stretched, standing once more and quickly making his way back to the floor. Rosie merely scooted over just enough to give Carter an inch of space. The boy slowly picked himself up, propping himself on his elbows a minute to clear his groggy head. Rather sluggishly, he brought himself to a standing position. Hands finding their way into his pockets, he wandered to his desk and sat.

The first page he opened upon booting his laptop was, of course, his blog. As he scrolled through his previous posts, he noticed he had a message in his ask box. Curiosity getting the better of him, he clicked on his messages. He regretted it immediately.

Anonymous asked:

your a fag get a life and stop spamming tumblr with ur shit like seriously all u do is bitch about ur life

Carter could feel his chest tightening with emotion. He knew things like this shouldn't get to him, they were just internet trolls, but he couldn't help taking it to heart. Shakily clicking the "answer" button, he typed out his response.

EXCUSE ME FOR POSTING ABOUT /MY/ LIFE ON /MY/ BLOG. I DIDN'T REALISE I WAS ONLY SUPPOSED TO REBLOG GAY PORN AND RAINBOWS ALL THE TIME. I AM SO FUCKING TIRED OF HEARING ALL THIS BULLSHIT JUST BECAUSE I HAPPEN TO PREFER VENTING ABOUT MY EMOTIONS HERE THAN BOTTLING THEM UP AND EVENTUALLY EXPLODING. THANKS.

But as soon as he had finished typing it, he read over the words once or twice before clicking "cancel" with a sigh. After another moment of hesitating, he clicked the "x" and deleted the message all together.

Almost an hour later, his mother summoned him for supper. He silently joined her at the table, keeping his expression neutral and thanking her quietly as he began eating. After a short while of silence, she cleared her throat and hesitantly spoke up.

"So, um... How was your day?" She asked rather awkwardly, glancing up at him for only a moment before returning to picking at her food. He shrugged.

"Pretty okay..." Carter muttered, trying to avoid speaking while having a mouth full of food. He knew she hated that. He took a bite, chewing it slowly before swallowing and continuing to speak. "I made a new friend, and he's on my bus... His name is Ethan, and he's pretty nice..." As he trailed off, she took the opporitunity to cut in.

"Ethan? I didn't think anyone named their kids that these days. Hmm... Well, at least he's on your bus, otherwise you probably wouldn't see him that often right? Because I doubt he would ever want to spend any time with you outside of school," she just never seemed to stop speaking. However, she gave Carter another chance to speak by asking, "So what classes you have with him?"

Carter hesitated a long moment, working the carrots in his mouth as slowly as possible and swallowing hard before speaking up. "Uh... I... T-theatre..." He could feel her eyes boring into him. He kept his eyes trained on his plate.

She was dead silent a long moment, the only sound being her fork scraping across her plate as she pushed around her food. Finally, _finally_ she spoke up. "...Theatre class. You're in a... A theatre class? The hell did you end up there?"

Carter could feel his face heating up, more in anger than embarrassment. "It isn't _my_ fault, they ended up having nowhere else to put me and I-!"

"So you went into this school knowing you were going to get stuck in a stupid class like that?" She accused, cutting him off.

Carter shook his head, stuttering a moment before recovering. "N-no, I mean I...! Mom, I _tried_ to talk to the teacher about it but he wouldn't listen to me! Then after that was when I met Ethan, well, officially... But I-"

"Whatever," she spoke right over him, "I just hope they're ready to give you some fucking voice lessons. And acting lessons. And dancing lessons. And maybe they can teach you how to be less socially awkward while they're at it."

Carter sat in silence, stung by her words. He could feel the regret coiling in his chest, the coil winding and winding until it took up all the space and he felt tears coming. He ate another bite of food before responding.

"F-fine, I'll ask about it..." Carter grumbled, standing. "I'm done, sorry. Not hungry tonight." He could hear the emotion in his voice and silently groaned to himself. "E-... Excuse me." With that, he disappeared through the kitchen and up the stairs rather quickly. Shutting the door at the top behind him, he locked it and gave a shaking breath. He ducked into his room, closing and locking that door behind him as well. He crawled onto his bed, laying on his side facing the wall, and slowly curled into a ball. He fell asleep about an hour later, tears still drying on his face.


End file.
